/ Today, Human Rights Committee Vranje marks December 2 – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, in memory of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, adopted by the United Nations in 1949.
On this occasion, we point out the problem of human trafficking as a serious social threat and a serious crime, which endangers basic human rights, the right to life, the right to choose, the right to freedom of movement.
According to last year’s data from the world’s oldest organization that deals with this problem, Anti-Slavery International, as many as 40 million people on the planet have such a status, with the largest number, almost 3/4, being women and girls, and every fourth victim is child.
According to ASTRA www.astra.rs (a non-governmental organization that has been organizing various programs and forms of prevention, assistance to potential and victims of human trafficking for almost 20 years), the number of victims of human trafficking has increased, and only their team has identified 31 victims this year. human trafficking, of which 24 were victims for the purpose of labor exploitation, and among them are 19 foreign nationals.
According to the official data of the Center for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings, by the end of October, 48 victims of trafficking were identified in Serbia, of which 23 were children – 15 girls and eight boys, victims of sexual exploitation, forced marriages, forced begging and coercion to commit crimes.
The majority of victims of forced labor are men, and they are most often exploited on construction or in agriculture, while the labor exploitation of women is carried out in closed, private spaces and is therefore less visible. The victims of sexual exploitation in most cases are women and children, and they are often exploited for work. The Corona virus has made human trafficking less visible, much of the activity of human traffickers is carried out through the Internet and social networks, and victims are lurking through fake job advertisements.
Human Rights Committee Vranje is part of the Anti-Trafficking Network (AT Network www.atmreza.org ) which in cooperation with relevant actors designs and implements activities aimed at preventing, reducing and solving the problem of human trafficking at the state level and local communities in the Republic of Serbia. We also realize as a member of the Local Network of Vranje for the prevention of human trafficking
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE VRANJE